When you are beginning to write, you gather as much data as you can. You continually add allied thoughts. . You use your right brain, the creative side.
So when you have an idea and your mind says, "not relevant to my core subject," you ignore the doubt. You don't cross anything out. You behave as magpie.
To polish your copy, you do the opposite.Here's how: shut the door and banish distractions. Read your copy v e r y s l o w l y and concentrate.
Better still, read the copy out loud s l o w l y. If reading out loud is impractical say the words to yourself soundlessly. The instant you sense "this shouldn't be here," cross it out.Trust your first judgement. Trust your first judgement.
What "shouldn't be here?". Any material that is superfluous, because you've said it before in a different way. Or because it is not central to your main argument.
You should be removing words as well as ideas. You want to communicate in as few words as possible. Shorter is better. Shorter is richer. Shorter is more bang for your reader's buck. Short sentences are easy to read and understand.
If you are fond of a certain sentence, but you know deep down it is not relevant here's a tip to help you excise. Create a heading at the end of your draft called "overmatter." Whenever you are not sure whether to cut or leave a sentence, cut and paste it into overmatter.
Later delete all the overmatter. Sometimes doing it in two steps is easier than one fell swoop.
As novices we love a certain word, phrase or musicality. Don't be distracted by that. Think only of your reader and the shortest route to communicating your idea.
My mentor, Natalie Goldberg in Writing Down the Bones, says,"when you go over your work, become a Samurai, a great warrior with courage to cut anything out....be willing not to be sentimental about your writing when you reread it. Look at it with a clear, piercing mind."
"Clear writers have accepted the grim reality," says John Trimble that nine-tenths of all writing is rewriting...perhaps most important of all, they are sticklers for continuity. They link their sentences and paragraphs as meticulously as if they might face criminal charges for negligence."
Do you have a robust marketing plan? How persuasive is your website, brochure copy or direct mail?
To win more business,call Neroli Lacey NOW.
About The Author
I'm Neroli Lacey of Beyond Communications Inc. in Minneapolis, MN. I've been helping executives transform their businesses and their lives with outstanding marketing materials since 1995. VISA, 3M and Perot Systems are some of my bigger clients. I have worked with clients in Boston, San Francisco, Dallas, Austin, Minneapolis, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin and Delhi. I used to be one of the top journalists in Britain writing for The Times, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Guardian, The Evening Standard, New Statesman, Vogue and Tatler.
Before newspapers I was an investment banker. I grew up in London, England, studying Latin with Greek at Bristol University.
Please visit my website: www.beyondcommunications.com
Or contact me at: neroli@beyondcommunications.com
612-215-3826
It's true, we were all taught in school to express... Read More
Most of us spend our days persuading others to buy... Read More
Everyday when I read promotional emails and advertisements, or listen... Read More
Doing the copywriting for your own website without the proper... Read More
1. Isolation technique It doesn't matter how good your... Read More
A subscriber to my newsletter asks: "Got any good pointers... Read More
I recently sponsored and attended Joel Christopher and... Read More
One statistic shows that over 80% of all buying decisions... Read More
In its most basic form, copywriting is, among other things,... Read More
Writers write just like painters, paint on canvas. This is... Read More
When you are going to write a press release probably... Read More
How do you make your fundraising letters creative and fresh... Read More
Anyone who's ever tried marketing IT products or... Read More
Think for a moment some day and consider the kind... Read More
As with any of the performing arts, an effective voiceover... Read More
Several correspondents to our newsletter, AdBriefing, say that they are... Read More
Site visitors generally stay with you for as long as... Read More
In this article, I am going to reveal a dozen... Read More
Did you know that your writing can have a huge... Read More
Web copy that's intended to sell or generate leads needs... Read More
If you made it this far, the headline for this... Read More
A passionate debate is currently raging in the Copywriters Forum... Read More
Find a passage of poorly written copy, and chances are... Read More
Copywriting And Content CreationOne of the most important, but often... Read More
If you've been writing web articles to help promote your... Read More
One of the keys to writing good marketing copy is... Read More
Ask yourself these questions:Are you an experienced writer?Do you want... Read More
I have been in the ad game for a long,... Read More
Do you want to make $5000, $10,000 or more every... Read More
Quality is what you need. What you don't have is... Read More
Have you ever wondered how your copy sounds to your... Read More
Many of us have been asked to write an article... Read More
Not everyone is a writer. Good copy writing is a... Read More
I worked as a business magazine editor for about 20... Read More
No doubt, the headline is the most important part of... Read More
Yes indeed, that's all you've got, 30 seconds to make... Read More
So, you have something you want to sell. It may... Read More
Writing copy has sometimes been compared to an "art." While... Read More
I like to use power phrases when writing sales material.... Read More
Writing a killer headline for your copy is simple! You... Read More
It's true, we were all taught in school to express... Read More
You've done it. Gotten that press release written. Now you're... Read More
A significant reason behind websites that fail is the lack... Read More
My wife and I recently bought a house.It's currently being... Read More
When making a purchasing decision, people have their "rip off... Read More
Last quarter I talked about interviewing / gathering data. So... Read More
In a crowded market, clients will be seeking personality as... Read More
Network marketing is an art as much as it is... Read More
About 50 years ago, movie serials kept theater crowds coming... Read More
Think quick. In 10 seconds, can you list the 5... Read More
Your sales copy is the life source of your business.... Read More
Ever wish for your own copywriting business?Ever wish you could... Read More
Are you a freelance copywriter working from home? If so,... Read More
Several years ago, when I was working for an agency,... Read More
Do you possess the qualities of a good proof reader?... Read More
Sometimes it's a struggle to figure out what's the best... Read More
Just as great fiction is an art, so is great... Read More
Listen, consider this scenario.You have a deadline to honour. Time... Read More
When I write copy for my advertising clients, I always... Read More
A passionate debate is currently raging in the Copywriters Forum... Read More
I do not pretend that a one-stop shop solution to... Read More
Think for a moment some day and consider the kind... Read More
Most of us have seen a heckler at a baseball... Read More
If you write for a living, you deal with deadlines.... Read More
Most of the sales pieces people ask me to rewrite... Read More
"Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause... Read More
Copywriting |